hi everyone! like other people this is my frist time using linux.I have a half dead pc (compac) with just enough system files to run. so i can't install things there is no my documents ect.i was wondoring is it possible to whipe my hard drive and install VL?If more details are need i will gladly give them.thank you all,strash

By half dead I hope you mean not the hardware only the Windows operating system - because if you have hardware problems Linux won't make any difference - although it does make it easier to diagnose hardware faults than Windows (IMHO). What are the specs of that Compaq??? - it is important for you to know them to determine what version of VL would suit it best.

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i was wondoring is it possible to whipe my hard drive and install VL?

When you install VL you will first of all create some partitions and then basically VL will write overtop of the stuff on the drive so you really do not need to do a wipe beforehand.

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"As people become more intelligent they care less for preachers and more for teachers". Robert G. Ingersoll

wow really friendly support well its just the OS files i think the hardware is still goodthe thing is when i put in the disc with the ISO image and boot it it doesn't run it just goes to the broken Windows OS (the disc drive does work i've tested it)

First of all strash... Welcome to VectorLinux! Well to the forums anyway! We'll get you up and running in no time. You'll find we strive to help out whomever needs it. Especially people like you that have no prior knowledge of Linux. So stick it out, and you will NOT regret it. Besides... for selfish reasons, I can't wait to hear from you how much better that PC runs VL Powered.

It may be a bit tricky for us to tell you exactly how to set your BIOS as they are all so different. We can help, but it's up to you to poke around and at least tell us what you see.

When you boot your computer there will be a very basic display. Maybe some sort of graphic, but most likely words. Often you will see some text telling you to press a certain key to access setup. On mine the key is "delete". Some computers use "F1" or "F3". Sometimes it takes many tries to get into your BIOS. Some computers are fussy and expect you to hit the key at a exact moment.

Once you get in to your BIOS, you will know it. It looks very alien. Usually the first set of settings you will come acrossed is the time and date settings. Somewhere on the screen there will be text explaining what keys to use to navigate and change things. Often all you need is the arrow keys, plus and minus keys and the enter key.

Navigate around until you find settings about "First boot device" "Boot Order" or something like that. Usually the device boot order is: Floppy, hard drive, and then CDROM. Swap things around until CDROM is the first boot device.

I can't tell you exactly how to save your BIOS changes as they vary. Once again there should be some helpful text explaining what keys do what. I would expect you would have to hit "Esc" to get out of the settings you just changed. Then probably a "F Key" maybe "F10" ? to exit and save changes. It will or should ask you Y or N about the changes.

Save those settings and your computer will restart. Make sure the VL install CD is in the drive if you want a real OS installed!

It is possible your computer is too old to support booting from CD. There are workarounds so don't panic.

Let us know how you're making out.

One tip if you don't mind. If you are not going to dual boot, make sure you have access to a computer with internet. You might need us as a safety net if something goes haywire!

Wow really really friendly support! Ok well in the bois i switch everything aroundk if this matters the plug and play os thingy is onThe boot order is,1 Cd-rom drive (the cd with the iso image is in)2 removable devices3 network boot4 hard drive.and even now it just takes like 10 more seconds to boot then goes to the windows logo (Xp home edition)am look at the bios screen right now so if theres anything else i need 2 do...

Okay, I am not familiar with the software, but I'm very sure you made a coaster. It appears by the first picture, you created a "data" cd. Which means you merely copied a file onto a cd. There must be some sort of way to "burn CD image" "burn ISO image" or something like that. That's what a ISO is... A image of a CD or DVD. That's not all it could be, but that doesn't pertain to this problem. A data CD or DVD is not bootable. Does that make sense?

Good luck once again. I need to be off to bed before my wife kicks me to the curb. Don't be alarmed about anything. The install may be a bit daunting since you've never done it before, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. You'll do fine. BTW This machine is a 1 ghz Athlon Thunderbird. Not impressive. I don't know that it would run XP well. It really does fly with VectorLinux. You will be very happy with Linux. Don't give up.